Machine for unloading bottles from crates



June 7, 1938. c. STECHER MACHINE FOR UNLOADING BOTTLES FROM CRATES 14Shets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 5, 1935 INVENTOR. CHA 21.55 STECHE/a MW 16 mATTORNEY.

June 7, 1938. c. STECHER MACHINE FOR UNLOADING BOTTLES FROM CRATES FiledJan. 5, 1935 14 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VEN TOR. CHARLES 57'EcHE/e ATTORNEY.

June 7, 1938. c. STECHER 2,119,725

MACHINE FOR UNLOADING BOTTLES FROM CRATES Filed Jan. 5, 1935 14Sheets-Sheet 5 f y I T IIII I! a!! I A? Kiwi:

JIJIT C HAELES 572-0452,

ATTORNEY.

MACHINE FOR UNLOADING BOTTLES FROM CRATES Filed Jan. 5, 1935 14Sheets-Sheet 5 ITQFIW T Kiwi:

JIJIT C HAELES 572-0452,

ATTORNEY.

June 7, 1938. c. STECHER MACHINE FOR UNLOADING BOTTLES FROM CRATES 14sheets-sheet 5 Filed Jan. 5, 1935 INVENTOR. 27 1/7 (f/AELL? 5750/59EMA/T 6 M ATTORNEY.

June 7, 1938. c. STECHER 2,119,725

MACHINE FOR UNLOADING BOTTLES FROM CRATES Filed Jan. 5, 1935 14 ts-Sheet6 INVENTOR. C H/IELL-ZS 5756/1 52 ATTORNEY.

June 7, 1938. c STECHER 2,119,725

MACHINE FOR UNLOADING BOTTLES FROM CRATES Filed Jan. 5, 1935 14Sheets-Sheet 7 29 7a 172 172a 1/ V 1 27 INVENTOR. CHABL ES 5750452.

TTORNEY.

June 7, 1938. c. STECHER 2,119,725

- MACHINE FOR UNLOADING BOTTLES FROM CRATE-S Filed Jan. 5, 1955 14Sheets-Sheet 8 IN VENTOR.

C'HAEL as .STECHE-E.

WZZQJZZM ATTORNEY.

June 7, 1938. c. STECHER 2,119,725

MACHINE FOR UNLOADING BOTTLES FROM CRATES Filed Jan. 5, 1935 14Sheets-Sheet 9 INVENTOR. CHARLES STECHEE.

ATTORNEY.

.June 7, 1938. c. sTEcHER MACHINE FOR UNLOADING BOTTLES FROM CRATES 14Sheets-Sheet 10 Filed Jan. 5, 1935 ATTORNEY.

June 7, 1938. Q sT c R 2,119,725

MACHINE FOR UNLOADING BOTTLES FROM CRATES Filed Jan. 5, 1935 14Sheets-Sheet 11 g -21 3 2 J n I h 5 /96 I E 1 I R 205 00 204 00INVENTOR. 203 CHA/eLEsSTECI-IEE.

@ Maw ATTORNEY.

June 7, 1938. c. STECHER 2,119,725

MACHINE FOR UNLOADING BOTTLES FROM CRATES Filed Jan. 5, 1935 14Sheets-Sheet l2 m mm M I p I 5g [Eh 232 2140,

' ///iw v Emmi ('HA EL E5 STECHEE.

ATTORNEY.

June 7, 1938.

c. STECHER 2,119,725

MACHINE FOR UNLOADING BOTTLES FROM CRATES Filed Jan. 5, 1935 14Sheets-Sheet 15 INVENTOR. CHARLES 57'ECHEE MW EM ATTORNEY.

June 7, 1938. c. STECHER MACHINE FOR UNLOADING BOTTLES FROM CRATES l4Sheets-Sheet 14 Flled Jan. 5, 1935 INVENTOR. CHA 21.55 firscHe-e.

ATTORNEY.

Patented June 7, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MACHINE FOR UNLOADINGBOTTLES FROM CRATES Chicago, Ill.

Application January 5, 1935, Serial No. 538

31 Claims.

My invention consists of a machine for unloading or removing bottlesfrom crates and similar containers, where it is required to handle largenumbers of bottles in a short time, for example, in removing emptybottles from crates in dairies.

Heretoiore, as far as I am aware. no mechanism has been proposed or usedfor removing bottles from crates and similar containers, and where thisis done manually, for example, in removing empty bottles from crates indairies, the work is so laborious on account of the rate at which thecrates must be emptied to maintain an adequate supply of bottles for thebottle washing machines, that the labor cost is high as a result of itbeing necessary to frequently relieve the men engaged in this work. Itis a purpose of my invention to entirely obviate the necessity ofhandling bottles manually, in unloading crates containing them, and toaccomplish all of the operations involved in removing the bottles,automatically and at a rapid rate, at the same time avoiding breakage ofthe bottles.

My improved crate unloading machine includes mechanism for use inconnection with a crate runway or conveyor of the kind ordinarilyempolyed where large quantities of crated bottles must be handled, bywhich the crates one after another are brought to unloading position andmomentarily held in that position, and during the interval that eachcrate is at rest, other parts of the machine move into engagement withthe bottles in the crate, then move away from the crate with the bottlesbeing unloaded from the crate, after which the bottle handling mechanismof the machine carries the bottles onto a receiving table where they aredeposited and the bottle handling devices are released and removed fromthe bottles and are free to move towards the next crate brought to itsunloading position, the bottles on the receiving table being at the sametime moved from it by suitable conveyors arranged so that the bottlesare delivered from the unloading machine in a single row, to the endthat they may effectively be fed to any desired mechanism, for example abottle washing machine. In my machine described, I also provide devicesfor squaring the crates in their unloading position, if they happen tobe deformed, so that the bottles in the crates will not stick or jam intheir crate compartments. I also provide safety devices so that if, forany reason, the bottles are stuck in a crate and the entire crate beginsto lift from its unloading position, or it the unloaded crates jam inthe crate delivery runway, so that it might be impossible to properlylocate succeeding crates in their unloading position, the drivingmechanism of the unloading machine is stopped until the crate or cratescausing the diftlculty have been removed.

My invention will be best understood by reference to the accompanyingdrawings illustrating a preferred embodiment thereof, in which Fig. 1shows my machine in.plan view,

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of my machine, to a smaller scale than thatused in Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of my machine showing the opposite sidethereof to that illustrated in Fig. 2, and to substantially the samescale as that used in Fig. 2,

Fig. 4 is a plan view to a larger scale than that used in Fig. 1, of thetable employed to receive the bottles from the crates,

Fig. 5 is a horizontal sectional view of the parts shown in Fig. 4,taken along the line 5-4,

Fig. 6 is a vertical sectional view of a part of the construction shownin Fig. 4, taken along the line 6-6,

Fig. '7 is a vertical sectional view of the structure shown in Fig. 6 toan enlarged scale, taken along the line 1-1,

Fig. 8 is a, vertical sectional view of a part of the structure shown inFig. 6, taken along the line 8-8,

Fig. 9 is a vertical sectional view to an enlarged scale of thestructure shown in Fig. 3, taken along the line 9-9,

Fig. 10 is a vertical sectional view of a part of the construction shownin Fig. 9, taken along the line Ill-ill in Figs. 9 and 11. andillustrates the mechanism employed to raise and lower the column of themachine,

Fig. 11 is a vertical sectional view of the parts shown in Fig. 10,taken along the line ll-i i,

Fig. 12 is a. horizontal sectional view of the consltzructzion shown inFig. 10, taken along the line Fig. 13 shows in a view similar to Fig.11, the mechanism employed to turn the column of the machine,

Fig. 14 is a vertical sectional view of the parts shown in Fig. 13,taken along the line H-ll,

Fig. 15 is a horizontal sectional view of the parts shown in Fig. 14,taken along the line liil 5,

Fig. 16 is a developed view of the surface of the cylindrical camillustrated in Figs. 13. 14 and 15,

Fig. 17 is a plan view of a part of the structure illustrated in Fig. 1to an enlarged scale, to show the devices employed for releasing theloaded crates one after another, from a fixed stop in the crate runway,a part of the supporting bracket being broken away in this figure, tomore clearly show the construction and relation of the parts,

Fig. 18 is a horizontal sectional view of the parts shown in Fig. 17,taken along the line ifi-IO,

Fig. 19 is a vertical sectional view of the parts shown in Fig. 18,taken along the line i9-i9,

Fig. 20 shows in plan view to an enlarged scale, the part of theconstruction illustrated in Fig. 1 which is employed to clamp and hold acrate in unloading position,

Fig. 21 is a lower endview of the parts shown in Fig. 20,

Fig. 22 is a vertical sectional view of a part of the constructionillustrated in Fig. 21. taken along the line 22-22,

Fig. 23 is a horizontal sectional view of a part of the constructionshown in Fig. 20, taken along the line 23-23,

Fig. 24 illustrates in plan view to an enlarged scale, the part of thestructure shown in Fig. 1 employed to stop the operation of the machine,if empty crates collect improperly in the delivery runway,

Fig. 25 is a side elevation of the parts illustrated in Fig. 24,

Fig. 26 is an end elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 25,

Fig. 27 is a horizontal sectional view to an enlarged scale, of a partof the construction shown in Fig. 26, taken along the line 21-21,

Fig. 28 illustrates to an enlarged scale, the part of the structureshown in Fig. 1, employed to square the crates if they are in deformedcondition when placed in unloading position,

Fig. 29 is a side elevation of the parts illustrated in Fig. 28,

Fig. 30 is a right hand end view of the detent mechanism illustrated inFig. 29, for engaging one end of a crate in its unloading position,

Fig. 31 is a horizontal, sectional view to an enlarged scale, of a partof the structure illustrated in Fig. 29, taken along the line 3l-3l,

Fig. 32 illustrates in plan view to a scale larger than that used inFig. 1. the head employed for handling one kind of bottles. and also theyoke employed to support the head in the machine,

Fig. 33 is an end elevation of the structure illustrated in Fig. 32,

Fig. 34 is a vertical, sectional view of the parts illustrated in Fig.32, taken along the line 34-34,

Fig. 35 is a vertical, sectional view to an enlarged scale, through oneof the bottle handling tubes illustrated in Fig. 34, this view beingtaken along the line 35-35 in Fig. 34,

Fig. 36 illustrates in front elevation a part of the column of themachine and the associated parts. to show the devices employed forcontrolling the flow of compressed air to and from the head shown inFigs. 32 and 33 to control the handling of the bottles, this view as tothe air controlling devices, being a vertical, sectional view takenalong the line 36-36 in Fig. 37,

Fig. 37 is a side elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 36, with thedifference that in this figure the column is shown in its lowerposition, whereas in Fig. 36 it is shown in its raised position,

Fig. 38 is a horizontal sectional view of a part of the constructionshown in Fig. 4, taken along the line 38-38,

Fig. 39 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the electrical connectionsof the machine,

Fig. 40 illustrates in side elevation, a modified construction of bottlehandling tubes carrying modified bottle engaging and lifting mechanism,

Fig. 41 is a vertical, sectional view of the structure shown in Fig. 40.taken along the line 4l-4l,

Fig. 42 is a horizontal, sectional view of a part of the structure shownin Fig. 41, taken along the line 42-42,

Fig. 43 is a bottom view of the structure shown in Fig. 41.

Fig. 44 is a vertical, sectional view of the structure shown in Fig. 43,taken along the line 44-44,

Fig. 45 illustrates in a view similar to Fig. 41. the bottle engagingand lifting mechanism of the latter figure in its bottle engagingposition, and

Fig. 46 is a horizontal, sectional view of the parts shown in Fig. 45,taken along the line 46-46.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

As shown in Fig. 1, I illustrate a runway for crates, which runwayconsists of angle bars i0 and il between which a first conveyor chain i2is driven by a shaft i3 by means of a belt or chain i4 from a motor l5,the other end of the chain being supported on a pulley or sheave looselymounted on a second shaft IS. The chain i2 serves to move the cratesagainst a fixed stop I! carried by the angle. bar i0, so that when thecrates with the bottles in them, are moved one after another against thestop il, further movement of the crates by the chain i2 is prevented andthe chain slips under the crates without advancing them on the runways.The shaft i6 is driven from the motor i5 by a belt or chain i8, anddrives a second conveyor chain I! extending through the unloadingposition of the crates. which serves to deliver them to and from theirunloading position. A pusher bar 20 is located adjacent the fixed stopii, to move the crates from engagement with the stop, one after another,so that each of the crates may successively be moved into its unloadingposition by the chain (9, the bar 20 being reciprocated in a manner tobe described, to alternately permit movement of the crates against thestop i1 and to move them laterally from engagement with the stop.

For the unloading position of the crates, a presser plate 2i is providedto hold the crate being unloaded laterally against the angle bar ii,which is offset away from the chain i9 through the crate unloading zone.A swinging stop arm 22 and a movable detent 23 are provided to engageopposite ends of a crate being unloaded, to square the crate, if bychance it is in deformed condition, so that the bottles in the cratewill not jam in the bottle compartments in the crate during an unloadingoperation. The pusher bar 20, the presser plate 2!, the arm 22 and thedetent 23 are supported on a bracket 24 and are operated by means to bedescribed. The angle bar ii carries a movable plate stop 25 in linelaterally with the stop arm 22, to hold the crate being unloaded inproper position for engagement of the bottles in the crate by theunloading devices, suitable means to be described, being provided formoving the stop 25 and also the stop arm 22 and freeing an unloadedcrate, immediately after the unloading operation.

The angle bar i0 supports an oscillatory arm 26 on the discharge portionof the crate runway, to stop the operation of the unloading machine iffor any reason, free delivery of the crates after they are unloaded isinterfered with, since this might prevent a loaded crate from beingproperly placed in its unloading position, devices being provided asbelow described, to oscillate the arm 26 so that it does not interruptthe operation of the unloading machine when the unloaded crates areproperly moved from their unloading positiofi, alongthe delivery portionof the crate runway.v

The unloading mechanism is supported by a casing 21 from which a columnhousing 29 extends upwardly to support a column 29 therein for bothvertical and angular movement. An arm 39 is rigidly secured to the upperend of the column 29 and has pivotally secured to its outer end, adepending yoke 3i which carries a head 32 provided with devices .forengaging the bottles and lifting them from the crates. The upper end ofthe column 29 below the arm 39, carries a second arm 33 which movesvertically with the column 29 but is restrained from angular move mentby means to be described, and to the outer end of the arm 33, one end ofa link 34 is pivotally connected, the other end of which is pivotailyconnected with the yoke 3i. The link 34 and the arm 39 are of the sameeffective length and are mounted in parallel relation, so that the yoke3| is maintained at all times in a plane perpendicular to the angle barsI0 and Ii, although if preferred, any other desired angle of the yoke 3|relatively to the angle bars iii and ii may be similarly maintained bythe parallel ruler action of the arm 30 and the link 34, the onlyrequirement being that the structure shall insure a definite positionofthe head 32 angularly when it is moved over a crate to be unloaded, tothe end that the bottle removing devices carried by the head 32 mayaccurately aline with the bottles in the crate being unloaded, and thatthe bottles removed from the crate may be deposited in desired positionon the receiving table consisting of parallel metal plates 34 supportedin a horizontal plane.

The cycle of operation of the head 32 assuming that a loaded crate isheld in unloading position by the devices above described, is asfollows: the head 32 is first swung over the crate, it is then loweredso that its bottle engaging and lifting devices may engage the bottlesin the crate, the head is then raised, lifting the bottles from thecrate until they are slightly above the plates 35. the head is thenswung over the plates 35, the

bottles carried by the head are released and the.

head is raised sufliciently to clear the bottles, and the operationsjust described are repeated.

The plates 35 are separated laterally a sufiicient amount to receiveconveyor chains 36 between them, which chains are supported on suitablewheels carried by shafts 31 and 39, the said wheels carried by the shaft33 being rigidly secured thereto so that rotation of said shaft maydrive the chains. The shaft 39 also carries a second set of wheelsbetween the wheels driving the chains 36, to support second conveyorchains 39 located between horizontal plates 49, the other ends of thechains 39 being supported by suitable wheels secured to and driven by ashaft 4i. The shafts 38 and 4| are connected by a driving chain 42 whichengages suitable wheels 43 and 44 rigidly secured to said shaftsrespectively, the wheel 43 being substantially larger than the wheel 44.so that the shaft 4i and the chains 39 driven thereby will have a morerapid movement than the shaft 39 and the chains 33 driven thereby.

A conveyor 45 is disposed adjacent to and transversely of the deliveryends of the chains 39 to receive bottles from them and move said bottlesfrom alignment with the chains 39 and the plates 49 with sufficientrapidity so that each row oi bottles delivered to the conveyor 45 ismoved from alignment with the plates 49 before the next row of bottlesis fed by the chains 39 to the conveyor, and in this way the bottles aredelivered by the conveyor 45 from the unloading machine. in a singlerow, which facilitates properly delivering the bottles to any desiredlocation or other machine, for example to a bottle washing machine. Thebottles are usually contained in each of the crates in a plurality ofrows, and the head 32 is provided with bottle removing devices which aresimilarly arranged, and as a result when the bottles are deposited uponthe plates 35, they are in the same relation that they had to each otherin the crate. When the bottles are deposited on the plates 35 andreleased, so that they may be moved by the chains 39, they are moved ata relatively slow speed towards the chains 39, and as each row ofbottles is engaged by the chains 39, said row is moved rapidly from thenext succeeding row of bottles on the plates 35, to suihciently spacethe rows delivered by the chains 39 to the conveyor 45, so that each rowis moved from alignment with the plates 40, before the next row is movedby the chains 39 onto the conveyor 45.

One end of the conveyor 45 is mounted on and driven by a shaft 46 andsupported in any convenient manner not shown, for movement as described,the other end portion of the conveyor being broken away, since it mayextend to any desired point remote from the unloading machine. To insureproper delivery of the bottles to the conveyor 45 with the relativelyrapid movement of the conveyor found desirable to handle the bottlesquickly, the portion of the conveyor 45 in alignment with the plates 40is preferably depressed at its outer edge. for example, by rollers 45a,towards the guide bolts 41 supported by suitable wheels on the shafts 48and 49, to prevent tipping of the bottles to undesired positions whenthey are moved onto the conveyor 45.

The shaft 46 is driven by a belt or chain 50 connecting suitable wheelson said shaft and on the shaft SI of speed reducing gearing driven by amotor 52. The shaft 46 also drives by means of bevel gears 53, avertical shaft 54 connected by a belt or chain 55 with a second verticalshaft 55, which shaft is connected by suitable gearing 51 with the shaft4i to drive the latter and thereby to also drive the shaft 38. Theshafts 56 and 48 are connected by a belt or chain 59 as more clearlyshown in Fig. 38, rollers 59a being illustrated in the latter figure tochange the direction of the belt or chain 59 on account of the shaft 49being in inclined position, by which the belts 41 are moved atsubstantially the same speed as the conveyor 45. A guide plate 59 ispreferably provided in vertical position near the outermost ones of thechains 35 and 39 to guide the outermost bottles being moved on theplates 35 and 49, and the upper end of the shaft 56 preferably carries awheel 69 to assist in directing the bottles from the plates 49 to theconveyor 45, and from the inclined portion of said conveyor to itshorizontal portion.

The casing 21 supports gear reducing mechanism 6i driven by a motor 62,which gear mechanism is preferably of any well known variable ratiotype, so that the crate handling devices and the bottle removingmechanism may be driven at a desired speed, corresponding to theadjustment of the arm 53 of the gear mechanism, as will more fullyappear below. A counterweight 54 is provided to counterbalance thecolumn 29 and the parts carried thereby.

(ill

The vertical relation of the parts above described will more fullyappear by reference to Figs. 2 and 3.

As shown in Fig. 2, the column housing 28 supports a guide bar 85parallel with the guide plate 59, to guide and direct the bottlesnearest the column housing as they move over the plates 35 The head 32is preferably provided with a stripper plate 68 having oppositelyextending arms 81 and 88 carrying rollers 89 and 18 for engagementbeneath fixed bars H and 12, to positively remove the bottles from thebottle engaging devices when the head 32 is lifted to clear the bottlesafter depositing them on the plates 35. As shown in Fig. 2. the craterunway is supported by a suitable framework carrying idler rollers 13,13 for supporting the lower run of the conveyor chain I9, not shown inthis figure, where it passes under the bracket 24.

As shown in Fig. a rod 14 extends vertically with a sliding fit througha portion 15 extending laterally from the upper end of the columnhousing 28, the upper end of said rod 18 being rigidly secured to thearm 33 to restrain said arm from angular movement and at the same timenot interfering with vertical movement of the arm 33 with the column 29.The column housing 28 is preferably provided with a removable plate 18to permit access to the mechanism within said housing as desired. Thecasing 21 is provided with a removable plate 11 supporting one end of acam shaft 18 and permitting convenient access to the inside of thecasing 21 when desired, and also facilitating the assembly and removalof the parts in the casing.

As shown in Figs. 4 and 5, each of the plates 35 is provided withdownwardly extending pins 19, which extend with a sliding fit throughthe base plate 8i supporting the plates 35 and carry below said baseplate, springs 88 secured to the lower ends of said pins. As a result ofthis construction, the plates 35 lend to move downwardly to rest uponthe base plate 8i, unless prevented from doing so. In their lowermostposition, the upper surfaces of the plates 35 are slightly lower thanthe upper surfaces of the chains 36, for which position the chains movebottles resting on them, towards the chains 39. When the bottles aredeposited on the plates 35 by the head 32. it is desirable that thereshall be no movement of the bottles by the chains 36, until the bottleengaging mechanism carried by the head is released from the bottles, andthis is effected as follows. Cain rods 82 are mounted for angularmovement, transversely of the plates 35 and immediately below them inrecesses provided therefor in the base plate 8I, said cam rods beingpreferably cylindrical members each having a flat surface extendingthroughout its length, so that for one position angularly of the cam rodit will slightly clear the under surfaces of the plates 35 when they areresting upon the base plate 8|, and for the alternate position of saidcam red, the plates 35 will be raised from the base plate 8| against theaction of the springs 88, a suiiicicnt amount so that the upper surfacesof the plates 35 will be slightly above the upper surfaces of the chains38. The cam rods 82, 82 are provided with downwardly extending arms 83.83a connected by a link 84 so that the cam rods may be operatedsimultaneously. The arm 83a is extended below the lowermost part of thechains 38, and is connected at its lower end by a link 85 with a bellcrank lever 88 pivotally supported at 81 on a bracket 88 carried by thecasing 21, the

other end of the bell crank lever being plvotally connected with a link89, the other end of which is pivotally connected with a lever 98, saidlever being in turn pivotally supported at 8| by an arm 92 extendingdownwardly from the bracket 24. The lever 88 carries at its outer end, aroller 93 resting on a cam 94 carried by the cam shaft 18 extendedthrough the casing 21. As a result of this construction, rotation of thecam shaft 18 in a manner to be described, periodically turns the camrods 82, 82 a sufllcient amount to raise the plates 85 slightly abovethe tops of the chains 36, which condition occurs at the time thebottles are deposited on the plates 35 by the head 32. and continuesuntil the head has been raised to entirely clear the devices carried bythe head. from the bottles, after which the cam rods 82, 82 are at onceturned to their alternate position permitting the plates 35 to rest uponthe base plate 8|. and movement of the bottles by the chains 88 towardsthe chains 89 is at once begun. A spring 95 is preferably providedbetween the bell crank lever 85 and the housing 28, to hold the cam rods82, 82 in their position permitting the plates 35 to occupy theirlowermost position, when the cam rods 82, 82 are not operated by the cam94. As shown in Fig. 5, the column housing 28 is provided with a plate96 above the angle bar II, for the crates to rest against, when they arein their unloading position.

Notwithstanding the operation of the crate squaring devices referred to,it sometimes occurs that the bottles will stick in a crate beingunloaded and tend to lift the entire crate. To guard against this andthe damage that might result. I provide the safety devices illustratedin Figs. 6, 7 and 8. Back of the angle bar I I I locate brackets 91carried by said angle bar as illustrated in Fig. 7, to loosely supportthe inner ends of rods 98 which carry at their outer ends, blocks 99extending outwardly beyond the plate 98 through suitable aperturestherefor in said plate and resting on the angle bar II, the outer facesof said blocks being preferably knurled or roughened to positivelyengage the side of the crate coming into contact with them when thecrate is pressed against the plate 98 by the presser plate 21. Each ofthe rods 98 has rigidly secured to is midportion, a collar I88 betweenwhich and the corresponding bracket 91, a spring I8l is disposed tendingto move the corresponding block 99 outwardly through the plate 98. Eachof the rods 98 has rigidly secured thereto adjacent its inner end andinside of the bracket 91,

a second collar I82 to limit outward movement of the rod by its springI8I. Each of the collars I88 is pivotally connected with the lower endof a link I83 having pivotal connection at its upper end with a crankI84 carried by a horizontal shaft I85 supported in suitable bearingscarried by the plate 85. The midportion of the shaft I85, as shown inFig. 6, has secured thereto a crank arm I88 which, as more clearly shownin Fig. 8, carries a rod I81 projecting downwardly therefrom and in linewith the operating button I88 of an electric switch I89 carried by theplate 98, which switch, as will be described, is constructed to open thecircuit controlled by it when its operating button is depressed and toclose said circuit when its operating button is released. As a result ofthis construction, when a crate is pushed against the plate 98 by thepresser plate 2i, the rods 98 move inwardly under the yielding action ofthe springs |8I until the crate is in engagement with the plate 98 andwhere the bottles are easily removed from the crate, no further actionof the rods 98 and the parts controlled thereby, results. When however,the bottles stick in the crate and the entire crate lifts with thebottles, the heads 99 are moved upwardly by their engagement with thecrate, thereby turning the shaft I05 sufliciently to depress the buttonI08 01' the switch I09, to open the circuit of the motor 82 in a mannerto be described, thereby stopping the operation of the head 32 until thedifficulty is rectified.

As shown in Fig. 9, the column 28 is mounted for vertical and angularmovement in an upper bearing IIO carried by the column housing 28, andat its lower end said column is mounted for sliding movement verticallyin a sleeve comprising an upper portion III and a lower portion II2,which sleeve portions are rigidly secured together to constitute ineffect, a single sleeve provided with a longitudinal keyway II3 engagingwith a sliding fit a key II4 carried by the lower end of the colurrm 29.The sleeve member H2 is mounted for angular movement in a bearing II5carried by the casing 21, said sleeve member II2 being provided withflanges adjacent the ends of said bearing to prevent longitudinalmovement of the sleeve member in the bearing.

The cam shaft 18 extends through the casing 21 as indicated, having onebearing in the cover plate 11 and another bearing in the opposite sidewall of the casing, and within the casing said shaft has rigidly securedthereto, a worm wheel I I 3, a column lifting cam H1 and a columnturning cam 0, the latter cam being preferably built up of a core H811and two tubular members II8b and H of hardened steel, rigidly secured tothe core member IIOa. The members H81) and H80 are spaced from eachother and are provided with cam surfaces on their adjacent edges, sincethe cam is of the barrel type, while the column lifting cam H1 is of thedisk type. Suitable ball bearings are provided on the shaft 18 withinthe casing 21, to withstand the end thrusts resulting from the operationof the cam II8.

As shown in Fig. 9, the shaft 18 extends under the bracket 24 to carrythe cam 94, as well as other cams below described, to operate the cratehandling devices.

The worm wheel H9 is engaged by a worm II9 carried by a shaft I20, whichextends through the casing 21 to engage gearing of the mechanism 8|illustrated in Fig. 1, so that the cam shaft 18 may be driven by themotor 62 at the speed selected by the adjustment of the arm 63 of thegear changing mechanism.

The arm 33 carrying the rod 14, is a free turning fit on the upper endof the column 29, between a shoulder formed thereon and the hub of thearm 30, which shoulder and hub are closely adjacent the arm 33 toprevent movement of the arm longitudinally on the column 29.

As shown in Figs. 10, 11 and 12, the upper portion of the column housing28, supports a short horizontal shaft I2I in suitable bearings at oneside of the column 29, which shaft has rigidly secured thereto, as moreclearly shown in Fig. 12, an arm I22 extending towards the column andhaving end members extending on opposite sides of the column, andcarrying rollers I23, I23 resting between collars I24 and I25 carried bythe column. The collar I24 is rigidly secured to the column, and thecollar I25 is a part of a thrust ball bearing resting against anothercollar I26 rigidly secured to the column 29. The shaft I2I extendsthrough the housing 28, and on its outer end has rigidly secured to it,the hub of an arm I21, which arm carries the counterweight 64 to balancea desired part of the weight of the column 29 and of the parts supportedthereby.

As shown in Figs. 10 and 11, the casing 21 supports a horizontallydisposed shaft I29 parallel with and spaced from the shaft 18, to whichshaft I29, arms I30 and I3I are rigidly secured. the arm I30 beingpivotally connected at its outer end with a link I32, the other end ofwhich is pivotally connected with the arm I22, while the outer end ofthe arm I3I carries a roller I33 engaging the cam groove formed in theface of the cam I I1. As a result of the construction Just described, adesired portion of the weight of the column 29 and of the parts carriedthereby, may be counterbalanced by the counterweight 64, and rotation ofthe cam shaft 18 and of the cam II1 will cause vertical movement of thecolumn 20 and the parts carried thereby, depending upon the shape of thecam groove in the cam II1, which cam groove is continuous so that therotation of the shaft 18 may be continuous and of any convenient speeddepending upon the desired rate of operation of the column 29.

As shown in Figs. 13 and 14, the lower flange of the sleeve member I I 2is extended over the cam II8 to form an operating arm M, which armcarries a roller I34 engaging the groove in said cam. As a result ofthis construction, rotation of the cam II8 oscillates the arm H24: andalso the sleeve members III and II 2, thereby imparting corespondingangular movement to the column 29 and the parts carried thereby,regardless of the vertical position of the column resulting from theoperation of the cam II1 above described.

The relation of the column 29 to the shaft 18, and the relation of thearm H211. to the cam H8 is more clearly shown in Fig. 15, and the formof the cam groove in the cam II8 to accomplish the desired angularmovement of the column 29 and of the parts carried thereby, is moreclearly shown in developed view in Fig. 16.

In Figs. 17, 18 and 19, I illustrate the devices employed to operate thepush bar 20 to release the crates one at a time from the fixed stop I1on the angle bar I0 shown in Fig. 1. As shown in Figs. 17-19, the pushbar 20 is mounted for longitudinal movement transversely of the anglebar I0, in a. guideway I35 carried by the bracket 24, the end of the bar20 adjacent the angle bar I0 being provided with a roller 20a. forengagement with the crate being moved from the stop I1. The lower edgeof the bar 20 is notched as indicated at 20b to receive the roundedupper end of an arm I30 carried by a short horizontal shaft I31supported in suitable bearings carried by the bracket 24. The shaft I31has also rigidly secured to it, a second arm I38 extending downwardlyfrom the shaft through a clearance opening in the top of the bracket 24,the lower end of said arm being pivotally connected with one end of alink I39, the other end of which link is pivotally connected with theupper end of a bell crank lever I40 pivotally supported on a stud Icarried by one side wall of the bracket 24. The lower end of the bellcrank lever I40 carries] a roller I42 which engages the groove in acylindrical cam I43, carried by the outer end pontion of the cam shaft18 under the bracket 24. As a result of this construction, rotation ofthe shaft 18 reciprocates the bar 20 in its guideway so that it is inits retracted position permitting a crate to rest against the fixed stopI1, when the crate ahead of it on the crate runway is being unloaded,the cam I46 further serving to move the bar 26 to the position indicatedin Figs. 17 and 18 immediately upon the release of the crate Justunloaded, to release the next loaded crate so that it may be fed to itsunloading position.

In Figs. 20-23 inclusive, I illustrate the devices employed foroperating the crate presser plate 2i and the plate stop 25 used to holdthe crates in unloading position. As shown in these figures, the presserplate 2I is supported on the end of a horizontal rod I44, mounted forsliding movement transversely of the angle bar I5, in a block I45 havinglower flanges for sliding engagement with guideways I46 carried by thebracket 24 and extending transversely of the angle bar I6. The block I45is provided with an arm I41 extending downwardly through a clearanceslot in the top wall of the bracket 24, which arm is pivotally connectedwith one end oi a link I46, the other end of which is pivotallyconnected with the upper end of an arm I49 rigidly secured to a shorthorizontal shaft I56 carried by a bearing supported by and below the topof the bracket 24. The other end of the shaft I56 has secured to It asecond arm -II extending below said shaft I56 and carrying a roller I52in engagement with the groove in a. cylindrical cam I55 secured to theshaft 16 below the bracket 24. The cam I56 is constructed to hold theblock I 45 away from the angle bar II during the time that a crate isbeing moved from the fixed stop l1 to its unloading position, to movethe block I45 towards the angle bar II immediately after a crate hasreached its unloading position, and to hold the crate by means of thepresser plate 2I, firmly against the angle bar II and against the plate96, while the crate is being unloaded. The rod I44 carries a spring I54between the plate 2I and the block I45 so that the plate 2i engages acrate in its unloading position, with yielding pressure whichcompensates for inequalities in the dimensions of the crates and whichmay also compensate for diiferent sizes of crates if desired. The end ofthe rod I44 remote from the presser plate 2| is provided with a nut ornuts I55 by which the tension of the spring I54 may be adjusted.

As shown in Figs. 20 and 21, the plate stop 25 is pivotally mounted atI51 in horizontal position on the angle bar II, at a sufllcient heightto clear the vertical leg of the angle bar. With the stop in theposition shown in Figs. 20 and 21, it is in the path of movement of acrate to its unloading position by the chain I9, so that movement of thecrate beyond its unloading position is prevented by said stop. When thecrate has been unloaded however, it is necessary to release it from thestop and continue its movement by means of the chain I6, to thedischarging portion of the crate runway, and this release isaccomplished as follows. The stop 25 is connected by a link I56 with oneend of a lever I59 pivotally mounted at I66 on-a block I6I back of andsupported by the angle bar II. The other end of the lever I59 hasextending downwardly therefrom, a bar I62 in the path of a horizontallydisposed bar I69 extending from the upper portion of a hook shaped cratereleasing lever I64. The lever I64 is pivotally supported in verticalposition at I65 on an edge of the bracket 24 and extends below saidbracket; and is connected at its lower end, with one end of a springI56, the other end of which is secured to the bracket 24, to hold thelever I64 in its retracted position indicated in Figs. 20 and 21, unlesssaid lever is moved to release a crate from the stop 25. The hook shapedupper end of the lever I64 extends over the top of the angle bar IIduring a crate releasing operation, to move the crate from engagementwith the adjacent edge of the stop 25, which as indicated is preferablyrounded to facilitate discharging the crate from engagement with thestop. The pivotal connection of the link I56 with the lever I59 isconnected with one end of a spring I66, the other end of said springbeing connected with the end of the stop 25 remote from its cratestopping edge. As a result of this construction, when the releasinglever I64 is moved over the angle bar II to release a crate that hasjust been unloaded, the engagement of the bars I62 and I63 moves thelever I59 and link I56 .to draw the rounded holding edge of the stop 25over the top of the angle bar II and away from the angle bar III, whichaction continues until the upper end of the lever I64 has moved theunloaded crate outwardly beyond the stopping edge of the stop 25. Thisaction however, elongates the spring I66, 50 that when the lever I64 Isagain moved to its retracted position, shown in Figs. 20 and 21, thespring I66 moves the stop 25 to its stopping position and also moves thelever I59 so that the bars I62 and I66 remain in engagement with eachother.

The lever I64 is pivotally connected above the bracket 24 and below theangle bar II, with one end of a link I61 which extends under the craterunway and through an operating block I66 pivotally connected with andoperated by an arm I69 secured to a short horizontal shaft I supportedin a suitable bearing carried by the bracket 24. As more clearly shownin Fig. 20, the other end of the shaft I16 has rigidly secured to it asecond arm "I pivotally connected with a link I12, the other end ofwhich is connected to the block I45. As a result of this construction,when the block I45 is moved to its retracted position by the operationof the cam I56, the shaft I16 is oscillated to move the block I66 andthe link I61 to the right as shown in Figs. 20 and 21, thereby movingthe lever I 64 to its crate releasing position. To insure a quick returnof the stop 25 to its crate stopping position, and at the same timeleave the presser plate 2i in its retracted position to permit the freemovement of the next crate to its unloading position, the connectionbetween the link I61 and the block I66 is constructed as more clearlyshown in Fig. 23. As shown in that figure, the block I66 is providedwith a clearance opening IBM to receive the end portion of the link I61,said clearance opening being substantially larger than the end portionof said link. The lower portion of the clearance opening is providedwith a toothed member I13, preferably of hardened steel and having atooth on its upper end in the clearance opening I68a, to engage acorresponding shoulder I61a formed in the lower edge portion of the linkI61. The upper portion of the block I66 is bored to receive a plungerI14 at its inner end, which plunger extends into the opening I66a andagainst the upper edge of the link I61, the outer end of the bore beingclosed by a plug I15. Between the plunger I14 and the plug I15, a springI16 is disposed which exerts a thrust on the plunger I14 towards thelink I61, tending to hold the shoulder I61a in engagement with the toothon the member I15. The link I61 extends beyond the block I66 a shortdistance to engage the beveled face I11d of a fixed cam member I11carried by the bracket

